Matt Kroschel is a CBS-TV multimedia journalist originally from Colorado now reporting in Huntsville, Alabama for WHNT News 19. We are Taking Action and Getting Results! Send news tips on Twitter @ Matt_Kroschel.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Colorado Mesa University Unveils New Logo, I have A Behind The Scenes Look

By Matt Kroschel

Grand Junction- Mesa State College unveiled the new logo and wordmark that will be used when the college officially becomes Colorado Mesa University on Wednesday, Aug. 10.

“This is truly an exciting time to be on campus and to see a new visual identity that reflects the growth and maturation the institution has experienced in the last few years,” said Mesa State President Tim Foster.

The logo is a stylized representation of the mesas and rivers in our region. The design communicates the optimistic, active and aspirational nature of the University to continue our growth in outstanding faculty, quality academic programs, student enrollment, and state-of-the-art facilities and technology. The logo also reflects the attitude – individualistic and independent – of the school and its students.

The design team used those descriptors as a foundation while working on the new look, said Jeremy Smith, MSC Graphic Designer, leader of the design team and a Mesa State graduate.

“We wanted to blend the geography of the regions with the Colorado Mesa brand identity, attributes and values. This logo is futuristic, streamlined and shows the progress the school has made in technology and facilities as well as reflecting the attitude on campus,” Smith said.

“The cool thing is we kept it in-house,” Smith said. “The school can take pride in having a logo designed by alumni and students.”

The design team began its project the week after graduation and quickly created about 50 concepts that were narrowed to 16 choices. Those choices were shared with representatives of various departments, a group of faculty members and a student focus group.

The final selection came after gathering input from the MSC Board of Trustees.

The overarching goal was to find the perfect marriage between both visuals and the written word to create an identity that will best represent the university for decades to come.

Mesa State will officially become Colorado Mesa University on Wednesday, Aug. 10.